Now with more coherency.

I want to save the world

Yesterday while walking home from work a realisation dawned on me. Some might
even say I had an epiphany. Others might say that I just wanted to use the
word, and what I really had was a mild stroke or case of delirium from
inhaling exhaust fumes.Whatever the cause, I came to realise that throughout
my life I’ve always wanted to be a super hero. I remember the entirely
impractical plans I had as a child of donning a mask and cape and a sword and
becoming Zorro (TV Zorro, not Antonio Banderas).

Sure, I know that trying to fight crime in the streets of Brisbane in a black
sports car (I wasn’t confident about riding a horse) stopping misdeads with a
sword is just plain ridiculous, but this sort of vigilante heroism is what I
grew up with.

While working at Pizza Hut I became dissatisfied with the work because I
wasn’t doing enough good. Sure, I could throw the odd Garlic Bread freebie out
there to the downtrodden and inconvenienced customer, but I just didn’t feel
that was enough.

So, what did I do. I decided to sit a giant exam (the GAMSAT) to apply for
entry into medicine. Having absolutely no experience in Physics and
remembering very little from High School Chemistry I came out with a mediocre
score, but not so mediocre that I didn’t get an interview. But presumably
mediocre enough to not be accepted.

So, after that failure, and after recognising that perhaps being a doctor
wasn’t the best way to save the world, I gave up. Well, I gave up for about 6
months.

After those 6 months I was prepared to save the world in entirely new ways.
Attempting to enlist as an Officer in the Royal Australian Navy. All was well
up until the Psychologist interview, where I was told that I needed to make
more friends, improve my self esteem and talk my problems out with people
(think touchy-feely). They did seem pretty interested in me though as I
received a phone call yesterday encouraging me to re-activate my application
in 12 months time.

However, seeing as I was going to take a minor pay hit for 2 years of
training, I’m not sure if I could take the pay hit in a year’s time. But only
time will tell. Essentially if I still feel like enlisting in 12 months, I
will.

So, stuck in the civilian world (for at least 12 months) I am looking for new
ways to save the world and be a hero. That’s what I think my latest plan is
about. Instead of fighting off terrorists or demon space monkeys (that just
sounded good, I don’t actually believe in demon space monkeys) I could fight
for the environment, but not quite like those crazy greenies (the ones with
the Shaggin' wagons that spit out black smoke).

And if logic doesn’t serve as a proper weapon, perhaps it will again be time
to don a cape and a mask and take to the streets…